Tempting the taste buds - Indian and International cuisine for people who love food and cooking!!

December 9, 2008

Cranberry - Pistachio Biscotti

I guess these days everybody is busy getting their Christmas trees and gifts, planning for a great Holiday celebration! We are excited too, but this is also the time that we miss our families the most! How I wish I could celebrate Christmas and the New Year with my family! But I guess this time around, its just me and my lil family here.

Oh boy, it sure feels like winter here in Minnesota!! With sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow-falls, you dont feel like doing much!! But then who can resist fresh home-baked goods on a cold wintry day!? And since they have a good storage life, they can be made in advance and makes for a great make-ahead homemade Christmas gift for your loved ones! I baked these Cranberry-Pistachio Biscottis a week before. The smell of these crisp Italian treat filling the house is a treat by itself! I had tried Hazelnut biscottis before, but this is my first experience with cranberries!! And I should say I like those lil cuties. For these, however, I used dried cranberries. I followed the recipe on www.joyofbaking.com. The whole batch disappeared in just two days! Snuggle up on a couch with a cup of hot cocoa and a few of these biscottis and trust me, you will be in heaven!

Beat the sugar and eggs on high speed using an electric mixer, until thick, pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

When the egg mixture falls back in ribbons when the beaters are raised, add in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together.

Add to the egg mixture and beat until combined.

Fold in the chopped pistachios and cranberries.

Transfer the dough to your parchment lined baking sheet and form into a log, about 12 inches (30 cm) long and 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) wide. (You might have to wet your hands with cold water to shape the dough into a log because the dough is really sticky).

Bake for 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Transfer the log to a cutting board and cut at an angle (diagonal) into 3/4 inch slices.

Place the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.

Bake 10 minutes, turn the slices over, and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Thanks Srilekha, Skribles, EC and Trupti!

Thanks Vani, EC and Trupti

Thanks Trupti and Sireesha

Thanks Trupti and Sireesha!

Thanks Su and Ramya

Thanks Ramya

Thanks Ivy!

Humble beginnings!

I became a fan of cooking blogs when I came to the US because I suddenly found myself to be a home-maker with little knowledge of cooking and a lot of free time on my hands. After a couple of years and experimenting with a lot of food, I started thinking about my own blog!!! But doubting my writing skills, I have been pushing it back for some time. But with a bit of encouragement from one of my close friends and a boosting jolt from my husband, I decided not to wait any further. I hope that everybody will enjoy going through and trying out the recipes.

When I first started depending on the Internet for my cooking, I came across many wonderful recipe sites and cooking blogs!! One thing I realised is that since we are being offered a lot of different versions of a single recipe on the net, we will be more inclined to try out the recipes if we know that the recipe has passed somebody else's cooking test ! A picture of the dish will definitely go a long way to aid our decision. My objective with the blog is to post some of my original recipes along with the recipes from the net that I have chosen after trying out a few of the choices available. In the case of recipes taken from the other sites or books, the actual source will be posted along with the recipe, with the tips that I found to be useful. I sincerely hope that my blog will be a further incentive for everybody to experiment with the already popular dishes ! Please post your comments so that I can improve and evolve the blog into something which will help others who need a bit of inspiration for their cooking.